Reduction of State Road 60 to 2 lanes each direction to be discussed Feb. 13

SAM WOLFE/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
The section of State Road 60 between 20th and 6th avenues, known as the Twin Pairs, separates east and westbound traffic by one block.

VERO BEACH — Some people view making the downtown area more pedestrian friendly by reducing the lanes on State Road 60 as one of the first steps needed to make a more vibrant city center.

Attendees at a recent meeting to discuss a report on the proposed lane reduction, said attracting more residents and hotels also could help energize the area, which already is home to more than 25 restaurants and numerous art galleries.

The conversion of State Road 60 to a smaller roadway as it passes through downtown has failed to gain traction in the past, but a recent report by Kimley-Horn and Associates shows that it is feasible from a traffic standpoint.

On Wednesday, the report will be discussed by the Indian River County Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is made up of elected representatives from the Indian River County Commission, the Vero Beach City Council, and other local municipalities.

From there the report will move to the City Council where members will consider three different concepts for reducing the lanes and making other improvements along the roadway, although funding constraints could push back any conversion for several years.

Last month, the state Department of Transportation in a letter to the city wrote that "based on the preliminary assessment and traffic projections, the Department is receptive to the lane elimination concept."

However, the letter added that additional analysis and coordination are needed to obtain the department's formal acceptance of the idea.

Earlier this week, subcommittees of the local planning organization accepted the Kimley-Horn report that showed the reduction would not significantly impact traffic as it move through downtown.

State Road 60 between 20th Avenue and the railroad tracks is currently four lanes westbound and three lanes eastbound. The report looked at converting this segment to two lanes in each direction and possibly adding about 80 parking spaces along portions of the lanes taken out of service.

In the future, officials also could consider lowering the speed from 40 mph to 35 mph in that area.

Brian Good, with Kimley-Horn, emphasized at last Wednesday's meeting that the additional parking was not a plan priority. The main focus was on safety.

Although the plan looks at making the downtown area more amenable for pedestrian and bicycle traffic by reducing the number of lanes on S.R. 60, consultants said the change would add less than 35 seconds to motorists' travel time.

City officials are looking at the project as a way to promote downtown development, but resident and developer Chuck Mechling wondered whether it might be better as part of a more comprehensive plan for the area.

Fellsmere City Manager Jason Nunemaker, chairman of the technical advisory committee, listed benefits of the plan as "aesthetic integration, pedestrian friendliness, creating a different ambiance for downtown, and an unparalleled opportunity for Vero Beach."

Mechling said he wished there was a west to east travel options like Melbourne's that allow motorists to go through downtown or avoid it altogether if they are traveling to the beach.

One of the concerns raised by residents has been motorists taking alternate routes through nearby neighborhoods to avoid the revised downtown portion of the roadway.

Vero Beach Public Works Director Monte Falls noted that the report indicates there would not be enough congestion to prompt motorists off S.R. 60 and onto neighborhood streets. The consultants said there will be a minimal diversion of traffic — about 2-3 percent overall — onto other roadways.

Indian River County Public Works Director Chris Mora, however, said there will be some significant diversion when it comes to a road such as 21st Street, which is expected to see perhaps 1,100 more cars per day — or a 15 percent increase.

Mora noted the roadway is the gateway into McAnsh Park and said consultants will need to explain the impact on the neighborhood if that much traffic is going to be diverted.

Another major issue is funding. All three alternatives examined would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but some of the financial impact could be negated if the city waited for a regularly scheduled state maintenance project in several years.

One alternative for the roadway, which currently has four westbound and three eastbound lanes, is merely re-striping the roadway to two lanes in each direction along with milling and resurfacing work. The cost estimate of this alternative is $680,000.

Another alternative would be to mark out some parking spaces with colored, stamped asphalt in addition to the other work. Cost estimate $890,000.

A third option would be to extend curbing into the road at the corners of 14th, 16th, and 18th avenues along with the other work. Cost estimate $1.09 million.

The first alternative could basically be done as part of the regularly scheduled resurfacing and restoration work done by the Florida Department of Transportation at no additional cost to the city, according to Falls.

The city could then look at grants to pay for additional work it might want done or other funding sources.

The state is not currently scheduled to perform the resurfacing and restoration work for another seven to eight years so if the city wanted to do the project sooner, it might have to absorb more of the cost on its own.